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PaulaDurbin-Westby
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04 Apr 2012, 5:19 pm

I made this video last night. I am providing the link to the video embedded on my blog because I could not caption it. If you go to the blog, you can link to the video and also to the text. The focus is "lighting it up blue," autism "awareness," and all the defenses of the person who murdered the Autistic victim that I see over and over in recent comments on news reports, blogs, and in the text of the news reports themselves.

http://paulacdurbinwestbyautisticblog.b ... -work.html



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04 Apr 2012, 5:39 pm

I've watched the video and it's very well done. I think that the world needs to listen to that and not to Autism Speaks. I'm going to buy some orange lights to put on my porch next April. :)


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04 Apr 2012, 6:24 pm

PaulaDurbin-Westby wrote:
I made this video last night. I am providing the link to the video embedded on my blog because I could not caption it. If you go to the blog, you can link to the video and also to the text. The focus is "lighting it up blue," autism "awareness," and all the defenses of the person who murdered the Autistic victim that I see over and over in recent comments on news reports, blogs, and in the text of the news reports themselves.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/light-it-blue-michigan-mackinac-bridge-ren-cen-world-autism-awareness-day-video_n_1396682.html

Cornerpieces.org, in Michigan is working with other non-profit organizations and University students to light a bridge up for autism awareness.

The cornerpieces organization works to provide communicative technology to autistic individuals. Through this effort they are hoping to provide I-Pads for 1 child in the 4 districts of Michigan each day through the month of April.

There is no evidence that the light it up blue iniative has any connection with the murder of autistic children or people's opinion on that subject. In fact it is providing autistic children opportunities for communicative technology they might not have had.

My understanding is that there are similiar initiatives sponsored world wide.

The LtGovernor of Michigan who has an autistic child has worked to increase healthcare coverage for autistic children in Michigan and spoke at the lighting ceremony in Michigan.

Why are you suggesting that the light it blue initiative for Autism has anything to do with comments about the Murder of autistic Children? I could find no evidence of a reason for it in your video.



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05 Apr 2012, 8:22 am

Light it up blue does not have anything to do with the murder of Autistic children, but where people are using "awareness" of autism without doing something other than using blue lights, it is a waste of time. Your initiative sounds like it is providing supports so is a good example of doing something constructive. A lot of Autistic people and parents do not like the associations of "light it up blue" with the kinds of "devastating disorder" rhetoric and I'll post some links here. That is the topic I am addressing. And, the other stuff in the video explains it: Some of the same people who are lighting it up blue are also, with the recent murders of George Hodgins and Daniel Corby, making excuses for the murder because the child, or in the case of George, the adult, was "difficult."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariane-zu ... 78828.html

The Autism Speaks description of lighting it up blue references nothing but using blue lights and that autism is a"growing public heath crisis."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_It_Up_Blue

I am going out the door to a class with my son so will provide more links later.



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05 Apr 2012, 4:18 pm

PaulaDurbin-Westby wrote:
Light it up blue does not have anything to do with the murder of Autistic children, but where people are using "awareness" of autism without doing something other than using blue lights, it is a waste of time. Your initiative sounds like it is providing supports so is a good example of doing something constructive. A lot of Autistic people and parents do not like the associations of "light it up blue" with the kinds of "devastating disorder" rhetoric and I'll post some links here. That is the topic I am addressing. And, the other stuff in the video explains it: Some of the same people who are lighting it up blue are also, with the recent murders of George Hodgins and Daniel Corby, making excuses for the murder because the child, or in the case of George, the adult, was "difficult."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariane-zu ... 78828.html

The Autism Speaks description of lighting it up blue references nothing but using blue lights and that autism is a"growing public heath crisis."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_It_Up_Blue

I am going out the door to a class with my son so will provide more links later.


The first response, though not specified, must be from a doctor's office, in providing the results of diagnostic testing. "I'm sorry to be the one that has to tell you this", is not an appropriate way of describing any diagnosis to a patient, even if it is a terminal illness. That though, is not an autism specific issue it is an employee issue at whatever facility provided that information. It should have been reported as such to someone higher up in the organization. Unfortunately some Doctors or Doctor's offices don't do much more than they have to, in providing information to patients.

While we don't like to hear that autism is a growing public health crisis, that is how government and world health organizations view it, along with the way many organizations associated with autism describe it across the world. Governments that are already in poor economic health, are attempting to continue to provide billions of dollars in support.

Most countries do support prevention, intervention, and a cure, if possible, because at some point the governmental funds for support may no longer be available. That is a harsh potential reality for those that depend on governmental funds for survival

It is part of the reason the light it up blue campaign is supported in many different countries.

The thought of a parent killing themselves and their child is probably one of the most horrifying realities of the human condition. It is human nature to express sympathy/empathy for others that have succumbed to the frailities of the human condition.

This isn't an autism specific issue; there are hundreds of cases worldwide where parents have succumbed to the stresses of life, and have killed themselves and their disabled children.

It is also human nature to try to provide order in life when possible.

The thought that someone would just one day decide to kill themselves and their children, is disconcerting to people in general, and cause for fear that the world is a horribly capricious place. People will try to rationalize almost any bad occurrence to establish order in the world, to maintain that order in their psyche.

There are also many cases of disabled individuals that have killed their parents as well; the same empathy/sympathy is often expressed for the disabled individual that killed the parent as well, with stories of how that individual loved their parent. That is not an autism specific issue either.

There are millions of people that support this blue light iniative across the globe, as well as millions of people that support April as a month for awarenes of Child Abuse and Sexual Assault victims with dark blue ribbons.

Whether or not someone supports a certain iniative and expresses sympathy or empathy for a parent who succumbs to the fraility of their human nature, and kills themselves and their disabled child, is not either a light it up, child abuse, or a sexual assault issue; parents from all three groups could express empathy or sympathy, in a case like this; all that it would take would be for them to know the family in question, or the circumstances. The same as it would be if an autistic adult or other diabled individual killed their parents.

There are millions of people around the world that are supporting this blue light iniative, because they are concerned about individuals and their families that have autism.

I have researched the topic of Autism Speaks ad nauseam; the communication difficulties of autism vs the emotion laden metaphorical language of the autism speaks marketing campaign has created a great deal of discontent.

A good example is that some autistic adults were upset about the hacking autism campaign; the word hacking was taken literally by some.

The phrase "Autism Speaks" has been the the biggest issue, although the term was designed as a metaphor to give disenfranchized parents of children with regressive autism, a voice, not autistic children or adults.

People that work for autism speaks have autistic children, so they are not oblivious to the communication issues. However, they can't comply with all the requests of the acceptable literal language that autistic individuals would like to see used, and conduct a successful marketing campaign that relies on emotive language to raise funds to fulfill their mission, nor could any other charitable non-profit agency. It is the most common of marketing principles.

For those that wish to retain a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder that do not have non-verbal communication difficulties, and who do develop and maintain normal peer relationships; autism speaks is an ally at this point in time.

The organization supports the efforts of the organization you work for, ASAN and the Autism Society of America's iniative to broaden the DSMV criteria, in the study Autism Speaks is funding to replicate Volkmar's findings, with the data already derived from South Korea.

Objectively speaking they have the funding for research, the respect within the scientific community, and the influence to actually effect change in the DSMV criteria, if their research compells such a change.

The 1 in 88 children that the CDC references as having autism are receiving disability services within the school system; it's likely that it would be around 1 in 200 if the DSMV criteria was used.

These children not diagnosed with Autism would likely gain a diagnosis of somekind and continue to receive educational support from federal, state, and local governments; it won't change the public health crisis, per governmental funding world wide, regardless of what their diagnosis becomes.

These, children receiving supports for developmental disabilities in the school system, are the children that the DSMV field study refers to that suggests will not lose support, not the folks on this website, or the folks that work with ASAN, or any other group of adults diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. Those folks are not part of any field study that the DSMV has conducted, in regard to this issue.

Autism Speaks is an ally for all of these individuals that wish to retain an ASD diagnosis, because they are actually attempting to replicate evidence that if the DSMV criteria remains the same as it is now, close to 75% of individuals with Aspergers will no longer be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

A majority of the arguments between some autistic individuals and the autism speaks organization have been one over the differences in the metaphorical usage of words. It is a difficult barrier to overcome, because it takes decades for some to even understand how much of a barrier this is in everyday communication. There are myriads of examples of that barrier reflected on this website.

People like John Elder Robison have attempted to provide a bridge of understanding, that will only strengthen the future of all autistic individuals.

My idea of justice has no boundries. If I see Autism Speaks do something that is actually intended as malicious or beyond reason, I would call them on it; however, if I do not understand words the same way that others do, or express the same type of empathy or sympathy in circumstances, does not mean that the other party is guilty of an offense, it can be a difference in communication, and can be extremely difficult to understand if one has an impairment in understanding the difference.

Attempting to understand and bridge the communication gap is the answer. Objectively speaking Autism Speaks is working to help all autistic adults, with their research, whether they realize it, care to understand it, or hate the organization with every fiber of their body. A certain level of awareness effort on the part of Autistic individuals, like John Elder Robison, is required to provide this understanding and bridge the communication barrier that evidently has existed for years.

The Blue Light awareness campaign for autism is far from an initiative that is only beneficial to autism speaks as an organization. It provides motivation for people to get involved in their local autism organizations as was done in Michigan to provide greater assistance to autistic individuals.

It would go along way to overcome barriers of communication, if ASAN could publically acknowledge the good things that Autism Speaks is doing for advocacy of autistic adults. They are doing that now; there is no question about it. It doesn't mean they should agree with everything they do, but it would certainly reflect that the organization is willing to provide credit where it is due.



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05 Apr 2012, 4:23 pm

Yes, my use of "light it up blue" does fall into the category of metaphor. Some people won't like it, just as some people do not like Autism Speaks saying they will "eradicate" autism (although I admit that I have not heard anyone from Autism Speaks use that particular word since Autistic advocates called them on it).



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05 Apr 2012, 11:46 pm

PaulaDurbin-Westby wrote:
Yes, my use of "light it up blue" does fall into the category of metaphor. Some people won't like it, just as some people do not like Autism Speaks saying they will "eradicate" autism (although I admit that I have not heard anyone from Autism Speaks use that particular word since Autistic advocates called them on it).



Autism Speaks emotive language has softened somewhat, however they do refer to the statistical increase in Autism as an epidemic increase, which is pretty strong language considering the CDC, sponsoring the study, suggests greater detection is understood to impact the increase in numbers.

They clarify the detection issue on their website, but they have been provided specific information of how offensive the word "epidemic" is to some autistic individuals, and actually agreed to remove the word from their website, before the news of this latest prevalence increase.

1 in 88 says it all; I don't see the word epidemic as being a necessary component to get their target audience inspired to further fund the mission of Autism Speaks, over this prevalence increase

Diane Sawyer from ABC news, a very respected anchor, described the increase in the prevalence of autism as "terrifying", tonight on the ABC news in a report about older men having a greater chance of fathering autistic children through genetic mutations.

She didn't get that idea from Autism Speaks or any other autism organization.

She has covered many stories on autism over the years, up close and personal, and has gathered that opinion for herself through first hand experience.

Many in the general public will trust her viewpoint more than any emotive commercial provided by a charitable organization. I was shocked to see her say it, but you could look into her eyes, and see that it came from a sincere place.

Any efforts to help people with Autism or any other issue, starts with Awareness of the issue.

While I understand that some of the research that Autism Speaks is not particularly respected by some in the Autistic community; the opinion you provide in your piece that the Light it up blue iniative does nothing to help autistic people doesn't appear to be correct.

I provided specific evidence from Michigan that refutes that opinion, and this isn't a positive impact just in Michigan, the light it up blue campaign motivates people around the world to take positive iniatives to help autistic people, either through individual efforts or organizational efforts. Same as with the dark blue ribbons associated with sexual assault awareness, child abuse awareness, and awareness for Parkinson's disease in April (not sure if that iniative has a colored ribbon).


Neither ASAN or the Autism Society of America has the funding or the expertise, for the recent research iniatives that Autism Speaks has provided to study autism in the adult population, or the recent research funded for oversight of the effect of the New DSMV criteria across the autism spectrum.

Lighting it up Blue is not going to prevent human fraility among human beings, or the reported horrifying actions of a few dozen parents out of millions of parents with Autistic children. Domestic violence as a whole is a major concern of all first responders and a required part of the expert training they receive; taxpayers are already providing the funding for this training.

ASAN does good things; that's a reasonable alternative for funding, although I've never really seen ASAN undergo any real effort to fundraise outside of the autistic community or the new website, which I might add is a really nice addition, if you had anything to do with it.

The light it up blue campaign is helping autistic individuals, everyday this month in Michigan, as well as many other places in the world, along with inspiring additional funding for the actual research that Autism Speaks is doing that is of vital importance to autistic people.

One can not underestimate the potential influence of Autism Speaks research in effecting the DSMV criteria, and just how important that influence may be to all Autistic individuals.

It costs over $40,000; the cost of research in South Korea previous to it that cost much more than that; and the salaries of the individuals employeed by autism speaks to make this type of thing a reality.

There have probably been over a hundred threads on this site, by people concerned that they are going to lose their diagnosis when the DSMV goes into effect.

I haven't heard one person suggest that they don't want to see autism speaks fund this research project that may influence the protection of the current and future diagnoses of autistic individuals.

Most people are likely not even aware of it, and may not ever realize that autism speaks played a part, if they are successful in providing this kind of influence, through their research.

The memorials that ASAN is engaged in for those children that were killed in murder suicides, is a good thing that ASAN is doing; there are good things that other organizations are doing in providing awareness, funding and support for individuals with Autism within the effort of the light it up blue campaign and well beyond.

Every organization plays an important role; there really is no need for major dissent that I can see between organizations at this point in time.

Considering that the Autism Society of America does not agree on all the viewpoints of ASAN, such as the idea that mercury may still play a role in Autism, I found it refreshing that ASAN was partnering with the ASA, over the DSMV issue.

It would be extremely refreshing to see all three organizations collaboratively working together to provide feedback to the DSMV organization, even if it is just the acknowledgement that the efforts of other organizations are supported as Autism Speaks recently reported on their website, for the efforts of the ASA and ASAN partnership.



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06 Apr 2012, 12:03 am

blue lights hurt my eyes very badly.

i am probably not the only autistic person with this sensitivity problem. :?

nice to know that someone is "aware" of that.

they might as well light it up with fluorescent lights…. :roll:



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06 Apr 2012, 1:22 am

PaulaDurbin-Westby wrote:
I made this video last night. I am providing the link to the video embedded on my blog because I could not caption it. If you go to the blog, you can link to the video and also to the text. The focus is "lighting it up blue," autism "awareness," and all the defenses of the person who murdered the Autistic victim that I see over and over in recent comments on news reports, blogs, and in the text of the news reports themselves.

http://paulacdurbinwestbyautisticblog.b ... -work.html


Paula, I think you'll find that some posters on this forum will actually vigorously oppose and argue with what you're saying here, or argue that the parents totally absolutely deserve sympathy for murdering their children, as well as making excuses for the murderers.

And some are parents who will take what you're saying very personally.

Edit: Just to be clear, I agree with you.



Last edited by Verdandi on 06 Apr 2012, 2:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

aghogday
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06 Apr 2012, 1:29 am

aspi-rant wrote:
blue lights hurt my eyes very badly.

i am probably not the only autistic person with this sensitivity problem. :?

nice to know that someone is "aware" of that.

they might as well light it up with fluorescent lights…. :roll:



Me too, but I would just avoid looking at the landmark if it bothered me. The one out of the link below that looks like a blue neon line, is especially painful because of the contrast. Light blue as intended by Autism Speaks, as used in some of the landmarks, is not as bothersome, for me as an individual.

A very small percentage of the population actually gets the opportunity to see the landmarks, however, the mainstream media around the world reports the story, and awareness catches on.

http://www.lightitupblue.org/Markslist/home.do

The blue light issue is not an autistic specific issue. It's a well known issue that blue light bothers some in the general population, but no one is required to stare at the objects that are lit up blue, in this iniative, if the blue lights bother them.

Light blue background colors are actually recommended for sensitivity of contrast that some autistic individuals experience; of course that would not likely work for you as an individual. Objectively speaking from the facts as they exist, the soft light blue lighting effects on landmarks used in this iniative, was likely one of the best colors to use for autistics.



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06 Apr 2012, 7:42 am

Verdandi, I understand that many people will disagree and will defend the right of people to murder their Autistic and children/family members (some are adults!) with disabilities. That is why I am so public about bringing this to the attention of people. I am a parent, a mother, by the way. Please always include that when you are suggesting to me that "parents" might feel one way or another. Many parents are horrified by the murders. I know you were not leaving me out of the "parent group," but there are some people who do just that, on purpose, to try to minimize the impact of what I say.

That Diane Sawyer says something is "terrifying" does not mean it is a fact. Autism is actually not terrifying, to me. I like being Autistic. Some people will find it "terrifying," and may indeed be so distraught and terrified that they will think it's a good idea to "put their children out of their misery."



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06 Apr 2012, 3:08 pm

PaulaDurbin-Westby wrote:
Verdandi, I understand that many people will disagree and will defend the right of people to murder their Autistic and children/family members (some are adults!) with disabilities. That is why I am so public about bringing this to the attention of people. I am a parent, a mother, by the way. Please always include that when you are suggesting to me that "parents" might feel one way or another. Many parents are horrified by the murders. I know you were not leaving me out of the "parent group," but there are some people who do just that, on purpose, to try to minimize the impact of what I say.

That Diane Sawyer says something is "terrifying" does not mean it is a fact. Autism is actually not terrifying, to me. I like being Autistic. Some people will find it "terrifying," and may indeed be so distraught and terrified that they will think it's a good idea to "put their children out of their misery."


Terrifying is not a fact it is an emotion, but when strong, rational people experience it over an issue, there is often strong reason for concern.

I've read some of the articles on this topic both here and on other sites where you suggest that many people will defend the right of people to murder their autistic children/family members. I challenge you to present one comment where someone actually defends the right of anyone to murder someone, in these articles.

A person can express empathy or sympathy for a person's general situtation in life, try to gain an understanding of why they did something horrific; but that does not mean they are necessarily defending or suggesting that anyone has a right to murder someone, nor does it necessarily mean that they do not consider the act horrific.

When judging a stranger that killed their child and committed suicide, it is not known what the state of mind of the individual that committed the killing was, or what potential hidden mental illness they might of had.

It is a well known fact that co-morbid mental conditions such as schizophrenia are more common among the family members of autistic individuals, as well as autism spectrum disorders that may not be diagnosed.

Schizophrenia often strikes women in middle age. In a recent case of an women that killed her autistic child she was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. This would have never been known if she had committed suicide.

The fact of the matter is this could be the case in any suspected murder suicide. If a person actually lives with another person on a day to day basis, they may be better able to determine the other person's state of mind, but even the person that lives with them may not have close to any idea of the torment that exists in a mentally ill person's mind.

While a person can speculate whether or not a person was of sound mind when they did an act such as this, there is no potential for a trial to actually determine whether or not the person was sane when they committed the act.

A public discussion of what led to an act such as this is equally important for awareness so when mental illness appears to accompany chronic stress, that the person get's the intervention they need to avoid potential horrific consequences whether it is the killing of a child and suicide, the killing of a child, or the suicide of an individual.

When our combat veterans come back from Iraq and they kill their wife and chidren after chronic stress from combat and resulting mental illness, no one suggests that they have a right to murder their wife and children; empathy and sympathy is often expressed in the same way for an horrific situation that might have been avoided if the person had received appropriate support for their chronic stress/mental health issues.

In a military support forum where empathy/sympathy is provided by military family members for the fallen hero who commited an horrific act, it is not likely someone would be received well, who came in and suggested that the individuals in that conversation had no right to express empathy/sympathy for the fallen hero and the family.

You have been respectful in your comments that I have seen, but it makes me cringe when I see people come in and start calling people names for expressing empathy/sympathy for these horrific situations, in some of these articles.

You may not consider yourself as such, but I consider you an autistic hero for coming back from what you describe as a something that sounds like a complete breakdown in your blog, and doing all the things you do faithfully to take care of your autistic children.

There are likely many mothers like you with undiagnosed cases of autism, and in addition potential co-morbid mental illnesses that are heroes in everyday life for exerting the will and perserverance that is required in meeting the demands of everyday life.

If any of these people fall victim to mental illness and do an act that is not within the realm of sanity, they also should be remembered as well for the good things they did in life; not just for the point where they became a broken human being.

Guns inside the home result in more suicides than homicides.

In my opinion some of these killings/suicides could potentially be prevented with one simple measure; getting rid of the weapon in the home that is most often used in a moment of insanity, crime of passion, or domestic violence, that results in death.

Some human beings have the potential to succumb to an act of insanity, given the proper ingredients of chronic stress. A gun is the last thing in the batch of ingredients that should be present in a household where chronic stress is a reality. That is an issue that I do not hear discussed in these articles, but it is a preventative measure, where the ingredients for mental illness are present.

Unfortunately, impacts of stress on both physicality and mental functioning is cumulative over a lifetime. Most people would never fathom that they would be capable of doing such an horrific thing, when they are coping in life.

In some cases they will say I could never do such a thing, I'm not capable of it; I need my gun for protection from others.

The number of suicides as opposed to homicides from protecting an individual from predators, is evidence that in many cases the person that one thinks they know today as themself, may not even resemble that person, 6 months, 10, or 15 years later, as a result of changes in life circumstances.

It is already a known fact that suicides are higher among individuals diagnosed with aspergers than the rest of the population; rarely do gun owners consider factors like this, but they are worthwhile to consider.

The issue of greater support from governmental services is a valid point often discussed in the articles, but unfortunately it doesn't appear like any answers are coming soon for that issue.

Research on interventions, preventions, and even the potential of cure, while not likely realistic may be the only answer for future generations, when the government well of assistance runs dry; which some experts consider as a potential reality by the year 2030.

No organization can hope to replace a fraction of the billions of dollars every year provided as support for autistic individuals by the government and taxpayers.

This makes every potential answer vital.

It is possible that the blue lights may play a role in leading to some of those answers. Retaining a diagnosis is certainly a start.

I can provide resources to back up every fact I have presented if anything I have suggested seems unreasonable.



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06 Apr 2012, 3:53 pm

i do think that some people might think its ok to kill any child who they view as seriously ill.euthinasia is a common practice and do not resesitate orders are more common than not in hospitals.i dont think it is malicious but people view it as putting an end to suffering.certainly terminating life suport is not the same thing as actualy killing someone but not a far cry from what jack kavorkian was doing


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06 Apr 2012, 4:10 pm

I like what CockneyRebel says, by the way. ;)



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06 Apr 2012, 5:13 pm

vermontsavant wrote:
i do think that some people might think its ok to kill any child who they view as seriously ill.euthinasia is a common practice and do not resesitate orders are more common than not in hospitals.i dont think it is malicious but people view it as putting an end to suffering.certainly terminating life suport is not the same thing as actualy killing someone but not a far cry from what jack kavorkian was doing


It is hard to prove but suspected that millions of children die from the practice of infanticide in the world; healthy female infants are particularly succeptible in societies where male children are valued over female children, disabled infants are succeptible as well. It's not legal anywhere as far as I know, but people continue to practice this, particularly in cases where abortion or prenatal care is not available.

It's a culturally acceptable practice among some that requires no explanation within that specific cultural norm.

Fortunately we live in a civilized society, where the practice of infanticide is rare, and the killing of disabled children is rare as well.

A person that commits themselves to love and care for a disabled child for decades, is to be admired, in our culture, considering the practices of less civilized cultures.

It would be nice if every story had a good ending, but life is not predictable, and sometimes there are no explanations or a way to prevent the bad endings.

A murder suicide always presents the question of why, regardless of whom is involved. It becomes extremely uncomfortable when humans can arrive at no rationale for the act; but it is entirely impossible for us to actually put ourselves in another's shoes and life experiences. Why something happens and whether or not it is a morally, legally, or ethical thing to do are often not connected.

Unfortunately if our country ever becomes an uncivilized one we can expect cultural norms to change as well. Unsafe abortion is practiced at higher rates in third world countries where it is illegal as well as the practice of infanticide.

The 1 in 88 statistic provides additional information for geneticists to provide to their patients, in regard to family planning. It is already standard practice for geneticists to offer information that the selective abortion of a male leads to a lower potential of autism for families considered at risk for autism.

Ironically even though we don't won't to see anyone lose their diagnosis, if the DSMV stays as it is now, it makes the likelyhood for abortion of potential autistic male infants less likely, given the risks that geneticists will provide on the potential of having an autistic child.

This is the part of a civilized society, that makes the potential for the abuse and/or killing of any child, less likely for those that understand they are not cut out to be a parent, or the parent of a disabled child.

Some people simply do not have what it takes; some are successful for decades, and at times it takes decades and specific circumstances for human frailities to make their selves known; some close to "Sainthood" they are not only to be admired they are fortunate in a capricious world.

There are no clear easy black and white answers for any of this. The action or ideology one supports can easily lead to another unwitting consequence that one may completely be unaware of.

The good thing about a discussion of differences of opinions, is that it can take one to places they might not ordinarily go, to effect better decisions in life for themselves, and even potentially untold numbers of others.

Awareness, Acceptance, prevention, intervention, cure, ASAN, Autism Speaks, and abortion, etc., all have clearly identifiable positive aspects and negative aspects, and some that are not entirely clear, existing in the largest area of aspects, the gray area.

That is why it is not usually the best practice to suggest that any organization ideology, or effort is entirely good or bad, to the exclusion of others, because the positive can outweigh the negative, and provide the consequences we want to see in an area we might never expect. :)



Verdandi
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06 Apr 2012, 9:11 pm

"Terrifying" refers to the emotion called "terror." And it does not necessarily carry more impact from someone deemed "rational" as no one is rational all the time. Much of the rhetoric surrounding autism (including Diane Sawyer's reference to the 1 in 88 number as "terrifying") is anything but rational. I would call it hysterical.

Which is more disturbing:

* Allowing a large number of people who need assistance and services go undiagnosed and unrecorded?

* Diagnosing everyone who needs assistance and services, even if the number is larger than anyone suspected?

Speaking rationally, the increase in diagnoses is a positive thing, as it means fewer people are slipping through the cracks. Diane Sawyer and Autism Speaks are just fearmongering.

I suggest actually looking up those articles about veterans murdering their families. I didn't find much sympathy in the comments I read. I did see the phrase "walking time bomb" come up repeatedly.

As far as mental illness, the vast majority of mental illnesses do not render one incapable of personal responsibility for their actions. Using mental illness to explain away murder is simply making excuses for the murder in the first place. And, seriously, this kind of hand-wringing over whether or not you can possibly know someone's state of mind when they killed someone only seems to happen relative to murdered disabled children. People don't seem to care nearly as much in other situations - people seem less motivated to make excuses for murderers in most other situations.

I linked multiple examples of what I am talking about in the previous thread in which I discussed this. If you (aghogday) have never seen evidence that disabled children's lives are undervalued compared to abled children's lives, then I'd suggest going back and looking those up.

Also, the continuous evocation of mental illness as an excuse for murder is ridiculous and not supported by facts: Mentally ill people are significantly more likely to be targets of violence than instigators. When you read about someone who is schizophrenic killing someone, that is the exception, not the rule. Depressed people tend to kill themselves, not others.

I would also say that culturally speaking, sympathy for mentally ill people is virtually non-existent. The idea of sympathy for parents who murder their children because they might be mentally ill rings false to me because it is simply inconsistent with the way people in general approach mental illness in other contexts.